Synthetic rope and wire rope assemblies are used in various rigging applications including winching and hoisting. Clevis mount thimbles may be used in wire rope and synthetic rope assemblies to form and reinforce an eye shape or loop at an end of a cable or rope. The eye shape or loop at the end of the rope allows the user to attach various pieces of hardware to the end of the thimble. Examples of hardware pieces includes hooks, shackles, and other rigging interface hardware. Synthetic ropes may have high tensile strength but are vulnerable to abrasion and ultra-violate (UV) sunlight damage. Current rope thimbles are capable of being crushed, which may result in the eye shape or loop distorting and reducing its opening size. Current solid thimble designs may not protect the synthetic rope from abrasions or UV damage due to the open design of thimbles. Also, current solid thimble designs do not provide a fairlead engagement surface to positively stop both the cable and solid thimble from being pulled through the winch fairlead opening, which can damage the fairlead opening. A need may exist for a solid thimble which protects the rope from environmental damage and distortion of the eye shape, as well as protect the fairlead opening from damage when operating the winch.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.